Week 34

Lotsa matza

What day is it? For that matter, what month is it? Our schedule for this new project is all over the place, and it’s really starting to throw off my internal clock. I honestly had to check my watch twice the other day to find out if it was April or May.

I found myself back in my old life one day this week in that I was working in an office. Jacquie and I designed an information brochure for Wolf River Conservancy as well as a newsletter for a fundraising event that we’ll be helping prepare for, and carry out on April 30^th. We spent a good portion of one of our days off working on this too, but we figured it was for a good cause, and we don’t have much to do on days off anyhow. Both the brochure and the newsletter came out fantastically, and the ladies we’re working for were very pleased, so that was rewarding.

Working out in Lovett Woods.

A couple of days ago I worked with a few of my team members to clear a new trail through the woods, and I now have a much higher appreciation for the hard work that goes into that process. I felt like Daniel Boone out there, but instead of a machete, I carried only a pair of loppers. The privet problem here is really becoming real to me, and I now have a personal vendetta against the stuff. It’s EVERYWHERE, and so thick it’s difficult to even know where to start cutting, its branches sticking out all over the place. For shrubs that are still relatively small, I’ve found they can be pulled out by the roots, which is the most satisfying way to deal with it if you ask me. We came across a cotton mouth snake while forging this new trail, but to be honest, I was more annoyed than scared. I guess I’m getting used to them. We gave the thing time to slither away, and then resumed our work.

Post basketball game.

Yesterday we worked the Down to Earth festival at Shelby Farms Park, which is the biggest city park in the country. Real live buffalo are the first thing you see when you drive through the park’s entrance, which is pretty surreal. There’s a beautiful pond with islands of trees and preserve space threading throughout. A paved walking trail goes around the entire thing, and there are branches off of it on one side that lead to dirt pathways through the woods. The park has a frisbee golf course, multiple playgrounds, off road bike paths, and a huge nature preserve with trails through it. The festival, which celebrates Earth Day if you hadn’t guessed, was a lot of fun. Our group helped lead the scheduled nature tours. I got a lot of walking in and learned a lot about animal tracks, tree types, and the kinds of animals and critters that live the woods at Shelby Farms. What I wouldn’t give to have a place like that in Lexington…

The weather has been so cool and clear here in the evenings, we’ve made several camp fires, despite the cruel mosquito population. The best advice I can give you if you ever visit this area: bring lots of bug spray! Cain and I have been busting out our stringed instruments and having a great time playing them by the fire. What a great time of year!

One more thing to mention is our outing to the Memphis Roller Derby on Saturday night! I’ve never seen anything like it, and now all the girls on my team (including me) want to join a roller derby team. We watched Whip It last night, so I guess you could say we’re a bit obsessed with this sport at the moment. If you’ve never been to an event, buy a ticket right away, because it’s incredibly entertaining. Oh, and Sarah and I took the opportunity to drink beer, which was a big event in and of itself. We barely go out these days, so having a Blue Moon in hand was more than a little luxurious J

The Evely girls (well, most of us) at Trish's wedding.